Lightforged Love
by PSDuckie
Summary: A stubborn Miqo'te finds himself in Azeroth. Will he heal from his injuries, and will he be able to return to Eorzea? FF14 OC/WoW OC.
1. Author's Note

This is a story I wrote for a short-story contest for a Free Company I'm in in FF14. Because of that, I didn't explicitly introduce the characters that they already knew. Tyll'a Starr, or as I sometimes call him, our resident stubborn Miqo'te, is my main character in FF14, and Tyll Starr is his mother.


	2. Prologue

Tyll'a, Tyll, and Kore – an Au Ra teenager that Tyll had rescued from Garlean attackers – were in the heat of battle, cutting down Dark Moon pirates. As they dispatched their foes, the three heard a distinctive – and distinctively evil – laugh. It was Ahxoh, the Dark Moon Matron that had vowed to kill Tyll'a after he had raged through her Lair, cutting down her pirate forces left and right.

Tyll'a cried out, "After what you've done to my family, this will be the last time for you!"

Ahxoh responded, "Oh, but I've already won. And that's _Matron_ Ahxoh to you!" She held up a crystalline orb. "With this, I can destroy Tyll'a Starr…forever!" As Ahxoh channeled aether into the orb, Tyll tried to interrupt her with a burst of magic, but to no avail, as the blast simply revealed a magical shield that Ahxoh had put up, seemingly for this exact purpose. "Predictable as always, Tyll Starr." Ahxoh finished channeling aether, and the last thing Tyll'a saw before he lost consciousness was a beam of green aether heading toward him, too fast for him to block.

Tyll and Kore could not believe their eyes; Tyll'a had completely disappeared! "Kore, they have won this fight. We need to retreat back to the house and regroup with Narisane and E'tifih." Tyll's voice seemed controlled as she called for the retreat.

"But Miss Tyll…what about Mister Tyll'a?"

"We'll find a way to find out where he is, and bring him back! I promise!"


	3. Scene One

Tyll'a opened his left eye. He was lying on a bed, and at first he thought he was in the infirmary that had been set up in the old Starr house, mainly to accommodate his tendency to get injured – a tendency that had not abated, even after he had lost his right eye. But he knew all too well what that infirmary looked like – and he was sure that wherever he was wasn't it. He was in a small room, which looked like a bedroom. Tyll'a had some questions, though. Whose bedroom was it? Why was he here?

Tyll'a didn't have to wait long to find out, as the door opened and in walked someone he had never seen before. In fact, he hadn't seen anyone like her before either! Her face and body were similar to that of an Au Ra, but her eyes glowed yellow, and her legs were different from anything he had ever seen. Where most would have one knee joint on each leg, this woman had two, one in the usual place and the other near her ankles, and her feet looked similar to those of the horses that Tyll'a had seen in Doma.

Seeing Tyll'a awake, the woman said something that sounded like a greeting: " _Archenon poros_ , young one."

Although he thought he understood the words "young one" in the common tongue, Tyll'a did not understand exactly what she was saying, and he asked her, "Where…am I? What happened? And who are you?"

The woman replied, "You're at my home, on Azuremyst Isle. I found you lying on the ground, severely injured, and I knew that if I didn't heal you, you would have died. I don't know what exactly happened, but I knew I had to help. And as for who I am, my name is Anaelyn."

For some reason, Tyll'a felt comfortable around this strange woman, which was the exact opposite of what he felt when he was around the Dark Moon. He felt he could trust her, and he explained, "I'm Tyll'a Starr. All I know is that I was fighting the Dark Moon, and Ahxoh – their leader – said that she was going to destroy me forever…then I saw a beam of green aether, and then I woke up here."

Anaelyn took a moment to think about what Tyll'a had just said. "I don't know of any 'Dark Moon'…other than the Darkmoon Faire, that is, and they aren't anywhere near here. But a beam of green…that is disturbing. This Ahxoh might be delving into magics that should be left alone. _Krona ki cristorr_." As Tyll'a tried to get up, Anaelyn said, "You shouldn't get up yet…you're still in bad shape. I'm not going to let you die though, young Starr."

"Young Starr? You don't look any older than I am, Anaelyn!"

"I have seen millennia come and go, young Starr. And you're not the first one to assume it's only been a few decades. We draenei age much more slowly than most races."

Abandoning his effort to get up, Tyll'a lay back down on the bed, and fell asleep once again.


	4. Scene Two

It had been a month since Anaelyn had found Tyll'a, and the two had grown to consider each other as friends. Anaelyn had explained to Tyll'a where he was, and Tyll'a had told Anaelyn about the family he had unwillingly left behind. Anaelyn looked at Tyll'a's face, and asked a question that, even after a month of caring for him, she hadn't yet asked him. "What happened to your eye?"

"Oh, that. I was defending the woman I loved from a Miqo'te who wanted her, but she didn't want him."

Anaelyn could tell from the look in Tyll'a's remaining eye that he was angry at something. "The Light honors those who defend the weak. But you seem…upset. Angry, even."

"Of course I'm angry. She had proposed marriage to me, and then she left me for someone else! I'm still hurt over that…"

"I can understand why you would be, especially since you gave an eye to protect her. Alas, I have never known love myself."

"In all your years, you've never known love? Not even once?" Tyll'a looked genuinely concerned for the draenei that had saved him and become his friend.

"No. No one wanted me because my brother was _man'ari_ – a demon. It is like what you described of your childhood, but I have had to deal with that even in adulthood."

It was clear to Tyll'a that Anaelyn was sad about her brother. He asked her, "How could your brother be a demon, when you're anything but? Unless you're talking about something like how the Garleans call E'tifih and me 'Demons…'"

Anaelyn shook her head. "You told me they call you that because you would kill them to try to avenge your sister. She is one with the Light now…I can only hope the same is true of my brother. He may have been _man'ari_ , and he may have accepted the curse of Sargeras where I did not, but he rejected the Burning Legion, and died fighting them. Just like you wanted revenge for your sister's death…so too did I want revenge for that of my brother. And that is why I took my quest to become Lightforged."

"Lightforged? What's that?"

"You've seen how most draenei aren't like me? That is because I was infused with the Light. Not all can survive the quest to become Lightforged, and I was one of the lucky few. And even though I have only known you for a short time, I see you have the same stubborn heart that I do. I will ask the High Exarch if there is any way he can help you. Out of everyone I know, he's the one who would most be able to help you return home."

"Home…" Tyll'a couldn't believe what he was hearing. He would be able to reunite with his family!


	5. Scene Three

Tyll'a couldn't believe his eyes. He was on what acted like an airship, but it was at far higher altitudes than he had ever been. The _Vindicaar_ , Anaelyn had called it, and looking through the windows and down, Tyll'a could see a circle of blue: Azeroth, the world that he had found himself in. Anaelyn was talking with a Hyur – wait, no, "human" – man, whom she had earlier introduced to Tyll'a. The man's name was Turalyon, and he was the High Exarch that Anaelyn had talked about. Tyll'a had the same feeling about Turalyon that he had about Anaelyn, a feeling that he could trust him. Still, he let Anaelyn do the talking first.

"High Exarch, I wanted to talk to you about my friend Tyll'a here…and about a strange feeling I've been having."

"Oh? What is this strange feeling?" Turalyon looked concerned.

"I don't know, High Exarch. When I'm near him, it feels like a whirlwind of emotions in my gut. I don't know what they are."

"I know that feeling, Anaelyn. It's the same feeling I had when I first met Alleria."

The woman next to Turalyon spoke up. "And I had that same feeling when I first met Turalyon."

"High Exarch…you're not saying…"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I think you might have feelings for him!"

"But what should I do, then? I've never had feelings like this, and no one has ever wanted to be with me…not in that way, anyway…because of my brother!"

Turalyon answered, "Tell him, and let him make his decision. If the Light is kind, he will look past the sins of your brother and see you for who you are."

"Thank you, High Exarch." Anaelyn turned to Tyll'a. "I don't know how to say this…I like you, Tyll'a. I really do."

"Anaelyn…I know how you feel. And I'm sorry for overhearing your conversation, but I like you too. You're you, not your brother, and you shouldn't have to suffer because of what he did."

Anaelyn started to cry tears of joy, as what she had feared would happen had not come to pass. Tyll'a had accepted her! He really had! After letting the tears fall from her golden-yellow eyes for a bit, she spoke once again to Tyll'a. "Thank you. Thank you so much! And there's one more thing…" This next sentence, although spoken to Tyll'a, was said loudly such that Turalyon would be able to hear it. "I think you might have what it takes to be Lightforged."

"You do? If it means we can spend more time together, I'll look into it."

Turalyon looked at Tyll'a. "The path to become Lightforged is not an easy one. But if Anaelyn thinks you can make it, then I will trust her judgment and allow you to take the trial. And…" Turalyon looked at the empty socket where Tyll'a's right eye had once been. "It would restore your sight as well."

Tyll'a's ears perked up. "I'll be able to see out of both eyes again? I'll take the trial then!"

Anaelyn said softly, "He is a stubborn one…"

Looking at Tyll'a once again, Turalyon told him, "The trial must be taken by a pair, not an individual. Normally two initiates are paired, but since you're the only one here…"

Tyll'a finished the sentence. "I would like Anaelyn to be with me for this."

"I thought you'd say that, just as I wanted Alleria to be by my side when I took the trial myself. Very well. Tyll'a and Anaelyn, step into the portal, and your trial will begin."


	6. Scene Four

When Tyll'a and Anaelyn entered the portal, they emerged in a coastal city. Tyll'a immediately knew where they were. "I recognize this place. It's my hometown of Limsa Lominsa!" Tyll'a saw a group of children playing, but there was one who seemed left out. Tyll'a knew immediately who the left-out child was: it was him. "As a kit, I was always left out; no one wanted anything to do with me." Another child walked up to the young Tyll'a and started to comfort him. "My sister Ayu was the only other kit that would even talk to me." The two walked out of the city, heading for the countryside. Eventually, they got to a house that was very familiar to Tyll'a. It was the house that he had grown up in, and that his family still owned. As they entered, they saw an older Tyll'a – he looked to be around twenty – as well as an older woman. Both were crying. "But eventually I even lost Ayu. She went to war…and she never came back." Tyll'a started to shed some tears himself as he relived that memory.

Anaelyn started to comfort Tyll'a. "I know what it's like to lose someone you cared about to war, Tyll'a. Many of my draenei friends fell in battle against the Burning Legion."

She and Tyll'a exited the house, and they saw his memory once again, this time fighting an aurochs with nothing but kitchen knives. "I knew I had to leave Limsa, and I survived in the wilds for five years." As Tyll'a explained, something came out of the Tyll'a memory's eyes, and it looked like fire. Instinctively, Tyll'a started to cast a spell, and blew the balls of fire into the ocean, putting them out.

By the time the two returned to where the memory was, it was nighttime, and the memory was asleep. Quietly, Tyll'a said, "Eventually, Ayu's spirit appeared in my dreams, telling me to go to Gridania, a city in the forests of the Black Shroud." Tyll'a and Anaelyn boarded a nearby ship and went across the sea to the Black Shroud. There, they saw a modest-looking house. Outside was a slightly older Tyll'a memory, along with a chocobo.

"This place…the Shroudwolf Den. Some of my happiest memories are of here. Nightstar and I…for the first time in years, we felt like we had a home. And we did…" The Tyll'a memory walked inside the house, and Tyll'a and Anaelyn waited. After some time, the memory returned, mounted the chocobo, and rode away. "That is, until my rage got me kicked out. I had been kicked out, and so had the Miqo'te I had adopted as my son."

With nowhere else to go, Tyll'a and Anaelyn crossed the sea once again, and when they had returned to Limsa Lominsa, they saw a memory of Tyll'a talking to a Miqo'te woman. "This is when I first met the woman I would eventually give an eye to protect. I loved her, and I thought she loved me too. But like I told you, she abandoned me like I was just a piece of trash!"

Once again, Anaelyn comforted Tyll'a. "You're not a piece of trash. You're a very intelligent, albeit stubborn, man, and if she abandoned you, then you deserve better than her."

"And I have better than her…much better. I have you." Anaelyn smiled when she heard Tyll'a say that, and the two started to hug. However, the trial had to continue, and Tyll'a found himself returning to the sea. Instead of traveling east, towards Gridania, they traveled west. "And then, when I was at my lowest point, is when the Dark Moon struck. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I lost myself to my anger."

They eventually arrived at a small island – the Dark Moon Lair – where they saw the Tyll'a memory yet again. He was fighting some other Miqo'te, and he was fighting savagely, cutting off the tail of one of his opponents when she left an opening. After the memory finished his kill, he turned to Tyll'a and Anaelyn, sword drawn. An eyepatch covered the memory's right eye, and a fire burned in his left eye, similar to the fireballs that Tyll'a had put in the sea earlier in the trial. However, this fire was darker than the original, and Tyll'a knew that he'd have to fight this memory of himself.

Drawing his own sword, Tyll'a started to fight the memory. Memory and reality battled, with sword and spell, and the real Tyll'a cried out, "This is not who I am! This is not who I will be!" Eventually, the memory found himself lying on the ground, with Tyll'a's sword at his throat.

The memory spat out the words, "Do it. Kill me, and be forever tormented." But Tyll'a sheathed his sword, and responded.

"No. I'm better than this." Tyll'a and Anaelyn returned to the ship, and found themselves back on the _Vindicaar_ , where Turalyon was waiting for them.


	7. Scene Five

"Welcome back, Tyll'a Starr. You have confronted your fears and have triumphed over them. From this day on, you are Lightforged." As Turalyon said this, Tyll'a's eyes – both his intact left eye and the empty socket of his right eye, started to glow golden, just as Anaelyn's eyes were.

"I can see out of both eyes again…I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you."

"Right now, you don't have to. But if the Legion ever tries to make a comeback, I would like to have you help us fight them off."

"I'll definitely help you with that. And this adventure…it brought me something even more important than my restored sight." Tyll'a looked to Anaelyn. "And that something…is you, Anaelyn. I want to be with you more than anything else. But I have a duty to my family."

Anaelyn responded, "Tyll'a…there's a family I need to help as well. For now, though, let's see about getting you home."

The _Vindicaar_ flew through the blackness above the sky, and eventually Tyll'a saw another world below them – but not just _another_ world. _His_ world.

Turalyon explained, "The portal should get you back home." Tyll'a shed a few tears, as he looked to Anaelyn.

"I know I need to get back home…but I don't want to lose you, Anaelyn! Please tell me we'll see each other again…"

"We will, Tyll'a. I promise. But for now, _dioniss aca_ – safe journey." With those words from Anaelyn, Tyll'a stepped in the portal, and found himself in a familiar area. He was home!

Tyll'a saw Kore training in the yard, and approached him. "Hello Kore."

"Mister Tyll'a? I thought we had lost you forever! But something's different about you…"

"I know, Kore. I've been through a lot. How's mother doing?"

"She's been worried sick about you! But I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again!" And Kore was right; as the two walked into the house, Tyll's eyes lit up.

"Tyll'a! I thought you were dead…" Tyll started to cry as she hugged her son.

"I'm home, mother. I'm home." As Tyll'a said that, there was a knock on the door. Tyll'a opened the door, and saw someone he desperately wanted to see, but thought he would never see again.

It was Anaelyn! " _Archenon poros_ , Tyll'a. I told you we'd see each other again!"

Tyll'a turned to his family. "Everyone, this is Anaelyn. She rescued me, healed me, and helped me get home. And…" Tyll'a started to blush.

Seeing that, Tyll responded, "You've fallen for her, right, Tyll'a?"

"Yes. I have."

Anaelyn told Tyll, "And I want to be with him, for the rest of his life." Turning to Tyll'a, she asked, "Tyll'a Starr, will you marry me?"

A look of extreme happiness was clear on Tyll'a's face. "Yes, I will!"


	8. Epilogue

It had been ten years since Tyll'a and Anaelyn had married. The healers had said that they likely would never be able to have children, but they proved them wrong, as they had been blessed with a daughter. They named her after Tyll'a's lost sister, and little Ayu had grown into a healthy child. Her eyes glowed, just as her parents' eyes did, and she was the most popular girl in her class. But she had a stubborn streak that she had inherited from her father: when she put her mind to something, she wouldn't stop until it was done.

Tyll'a and Anaelyn looked on as their daughter played in the yard, and the two lovers kissed. Their love had stood the test of time, and they would go on to stay together for the rest of Tyll'a's life.


End file.
